In Timor-Leste, growing digital connectivity presents immense opportunities, with the planned installation of a submarine fiber optic cable and the recent adoption of the national “Timor Digital 2032” strategy to support more inclusive economic development and public service delivery.
Yet, this also means new challenges related to the gendered digital divide, including cybersecurity, digital literacy and online safety – especially for women and girls.
Improving collaboration and expertise to address the gender dimensions of cybersecurity, technology-facilitated violence and safeguarding digital civic space in Timor-Leste was the focus of back-to-back events in Dili last week.
Organized by UN Women and the Secretariat of State for Equality, two capacity-building workshops and a multi-stakeholder dialogue convened more than 180 stakeholders from government, the Timor-Leste Journalists’ Association and other civil society and women’s organizations.
“As we embrace the benefits of digital access, we must also recognize and address threats to security in cyberspace, from online gender-based violence, cyberharassment and misinformation, to increasing use of online platforms for recruitment for trafficking in persons and other forms of exploitation. These threats are not gender-neutral,” said Elvina Sousa Carvalho, Secretary of State for Equality in Timor-Leste. “The dynamics of power relations, gender-based discrimination and exclusion that exist offline are being reproduced and intensified online.”
Timor-Leste’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2024–2028 and National Action Plan on Trafficking in Persons (2026–2030) explicitly recognize cybersecurity as a critical priority. These workshops and multi-stakeholder dialogue contribute to implementing these plans.
Through exercises and expert-led discussions, workshop participants were equipped with practical knowledge and tools on cybersecurity risk management, data protection and safe digital practices.
Government stakeholders explored the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence and other digital innovation, with a focus on their implications for peace, security and digital inclusion, as well as gender-responsive and human-rights based law, policy frameworks and strategies in alignment with international standards and the women, peace and security agenda.
The workshops were informed by the findings of a 2024 study by UN Women and UN University Institute in Macau, which found that women-led civil society organizations in South-East Asia faced high rates of cyberharassment (73 per cent) and trolling (71 per cent).
The event series in Dili from 15–19 September 2025 was supported by the Australian Government’s Cyber and Critical Technology Cooperation Programme as part of UN Women’s Regional Framework Towards Peaceful, Inclusive Societies in Asia and the Pacific.
Speaking on the opening day, Caitlin Wilson, Australian Ambassador to Timor-Leste, said the Australian Government was proud to support this initiative, in recognition of how cyber and critical technology affect international relations.
“We are working with partners to enable greater connectivity and secure access to digital technologies across the region, providing significant economic and social benefits, sustainable development and opportunities to participate in the global economy,” said Ambassador Wilson. “Australia remains committed to supporting Timor-Leste’s digital transformation journey and promoting a safe space and secure cyberspace.”
The concluding panel dialogue on 19 September featured an intersectoral knowledge-exchange to promote the mainstreaming of gender equality and human rights in legal and policy frameworks on cybersecurity, and on building partnerships for a safer, more inclusive digital environment in Timor-Leste.
Nishtha Satyam, Head of UN Women Timor-Leste, underlined the need to move beyond techno-centric models towards human-centred and rights-based approaches that place people, especially women and girls, at the heart of cybersecurity efforts.
“However, with relatively low levels of digital literacy in the region, the country is vulnerable to digital exclusion and online harms,” said Satyam. “Unlike other forms of crime against women, online violence often allows perpetrators to remain anonymous, creating further barriers to accountability and access to justice.”
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